To abel t



(No Model.) V V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. P. WALKIELR.- TRACK FOR CASH AND PARCEL CARRIERS.

Patented July 31, 1883.

m EER E (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. P. WALKER.

TRACK FOR-CASH AND PARCEL CARRIERS. No 2 2,417.

Patented July 31, 1883.

I II I II I .I I \III I II I II I I amn cm D, c.

UN TED STATES PATENT; OFFICE.

GEORGE P. WALKER, or LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS,- ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TOABEL 'r. ATHEBTQN, or SAME PLACE.

TRACK FOR CASH A ND PARCEL CARRIERS.

" SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 282,417, dated July31, 1883.

Application filed June 18, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, GEORGE PvWALKER, of the city of Lowell, in theState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tracks for Cash and Parcel Carriers; of which thefollowing is a specificationr My invention has reference to means forshunting the cash or parcel carrier from one track to another, and ischaracterized mainly by the combination, with the main track, of acage-like track-section, normally forming a part or prolongation of themain track, and

mounted upon a horizontal axis, so as to be capable of rotating in aplane at right angles with or transverse to the line of track. Thisrotating section contains two carrier-receiving compartments, each ofwhich alternately is brought into line with the main track, and thecompartments are so arranged with reference to the center of gravitythat when the carrier entersone of them it will bring a preponderance ofweight to one side of the axis of rotation, and thus cause the section(when released from control of suitable locking mechanism) to revolve.The section makes a half-revolu tion only, (being arrested at this pointby automatic detent or looking IIlQOlliLlliSl11,) thus reversing theposition of the carrier-receiving compartments, bringing the emptycompartment uppermost and in line with the main track, and carrying thefilled compartment down in line with the branch or side track, ontowhich the carrier will be shunted from this compartment.

The invention can be readily understood by reference to which Figure 1is a sectional plan view of so much 'of a cash-carrier track asneededfor the pmpose of explanation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.,Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the rotating cage-section onan en larged scale.

The track may be supported in any of the usualways, and can be of anysuitable con struction. In the present instance it is a singlerailtrack, the rail having the form in cross section of an inverted T,adapted for a carrier having a peripheral central groove to fit upon thevertical web of the rail. This feature,

the accompanying drawings, in

I however, is nothere claimed,- inasmuch as I have made it the subjectof another application for Letters Patent of even date herewith.

The stationary part of the main track is lettered A. The carriers, oneof which is shown .by dotted lines at m, Fig. 2, travel down it in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. The rotating cage liketrack-section is lettered B, and is placed in .the line of track at thepoint at which it is desired to shunt or divert therefrom any particularcarrier or set of carriers. It is mounted on pivots or gudgeons a, so asto be capable of rotary. movement on a horizontal axis in a planetransverse to the line of track, and is composed of two exactly similarand diametrically-opposite carrier-re ceiving compartments, 0. Eachcompartment consists of ttlEtOlQSOtiOll rail, A", of the same form asthe maiirtrack rail, and a guard-rail, A of like form, which is placeddirectly over and in line with the section-rail A, and at such distancetherefrom that when the carrier .1 rolls from the main track onto therotatable tra'cksection it will engage not only the rail A? below, butthe rail A above, and will thus be held securely from falling out fromthe con1- partment during the rotary movement of the track-section.Section-rails A A, at their ends, are in line with the axis aand maintrack A; but between their ends they are laterally curved, as indicatedin Figs. 1 and 3, so that the carrier, as it rolls along on thetrack-section,will be carried to one side of the axis of rotation, andwill thus bring a preponderance of weight upon that side of the section.The effect of this upon the sectionif the latter be free to 1nove-willof course be to cause it to partially rotate and turn bot ment down inline with, for instance, abranch or side track, A, and the unloadedcompartment up into line with the main track. Under this arrangement itwill be seen that the section-rails A A of each compartment act 5alternately as track-rails and as guard-rails. When the compartment isup, A is the trackrail and A is the guard-rail. When the compartment isdown, A is the track-rail and A is the guard-rail. In order to insurethe accurate working of the rotating section it is essential to employtom side up, carrying the loaded compart-' locking mechanism which willautomatically lock the section in place at each half-revohr tion, and tocombine therewith releasing mechanism operated by the moving carrier tounlock or release the section at the proper time.

It is manifest to those skilled in the art to which my improvementsrelate that various known devices for these purposes can be employed,and I do not therefore desire to be restricted to the special form ofmechanism shown in the drawings in illustration of this part of myinvention. i

' To arrest the movement of the section I make use of a front stop, I),and a spring back stop or catch, 0. The front stop in this instance ispositively operated. It slides vertically in suitable stationary guides,d, and is actuated by a pivoted lever, a, connected through aconnecting-piece, f, to the end of a bent lever, g, pivoted at g to somestationary part of the track ortrack-framin g, and j ointed at its upperend to a lever, h, pivoted at h to the side of the main track A, andarranged so that it will project upwardly in a position to bestruck anddepressed by a moving carrier, when the stop b is raised into positionto intercept the section B. The section is normally held in position bythe stops 1) and c,

which grasp between them the center lower strip, t, of the section B.After the stop bhas been lowered it becomes necessary to again raise itbefore the released section has completed its half-rotation. For thispurpose I make use of a presser-pad, j, which is struck by one of thecorners of the revolving sections, as indicated in Fig. 3, and isthereby depressed, striking a finger, 7c, projecting upwardly from leverg, and consequently depressing the-front arm of this lever with theeffect of raising the stop I).

In order to arrest the carrier at the point where the lateral swell ofthe section-track rails is the greatest, I make use of an automaticcarrier-stop consisting of a stop-finger, Z, secured to the track-rail Aby a pin-andslot connection, Z, and jointed to one arm of a lever, m,pivoted at m to the section-rail A, with itsother arm normally'projeeting up, so that it will be acted on and depressed by the movingcarrier.

The operation of the parts is as follows: The carrier, as it travelsdown the track, will, just before it passes onto the section B, strikeand depress the lever h with the effect of drawing down the front stop,I), out of the path of the section, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.2. The lever h, stop I), and parts connecting the same remain in thisposition until positively actuated to move in a reverse direction, afriction pad or spring, being for this [purpose caused to bear at alltimes laterally on lever 72); After thus causing the withdrawal of thestop I) the carrier rolls onto the section B, and, passing over thelever m depresses it and causes the stop-finger Zto be thrown up, as in;

- dicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, which stop-- finger thus arreststhe carrier at the center of the section, where the lateral swell orcurvature of the section-rail is greatest. There is thus a preponderanceof weight on the side of the section opposite to that on which the stopbis situated, and as this stop is drawn down out of the way the sectionnaturally revolves and turns bottom side up. In so doing its cornerstrikes and depresses the pad and finger k 75 with the effect of againthrowing up the front stop, I), so that by the time its half-revolutionis completed its shoulder i will bring up against the front stop, whilethe spring back stop, 0, which had been depressed by the passage of theshoulder-piece '5' over it, will snap up in rear of the latter. Thus thesection will be securely locked in place with the trackrail A of thelower loaded compartment in line with the side or branch track rail, A,and 8 5- the carrier-will at once trundle out from the section onto A.

Carriers which are not so formedas to strike and depress the levers hand m will pass freely and without obstruction over the section B ontothe main track A beyond. Consequently, when employing a number of theserotating sections in the line of track, carriers can be shunted anddistributed at these various points along the line by varying thepositions 5 of these levers at the several shunting-points, and bycorrespondingly forming. those carriers which are intended to actthereon.

Having now described my improvements, what I claim as new and of my owninvention IOO 1s- 1. The combination, with the main track, of atrack-section rotating on a horizontal axis in a plane transverse to theline of track, means for locking the same in position upon eachsemi-revolution, and mechanism operated by the moving carrier to effectthe release of the section from'said locking device, substantially asand for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination, with the main track, of a track-section rotating 011a horizontal axis in a plane transverse to the line of track, providedwith two diametrically-opposite similar carrier receiving compartmentsso formed I 1 5 that the carrier, when contained in one or the other ofthem, will bring the center of gravity to one side of the axis ofrotation of the said section, and locking and releasing mechanismarranged to operate in connection with the 120 said rotatable sectionand carrier, substair. giallly as and for the purposes hereinbefore setort 3. The combination, with the rotating tracksection, of acarrier-stop operated by the movr2 5 ing carrierin such manner as to bethrown into the path of the said carrier, substantially as and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

' 4. The positively-operated section-locking 1 o mechanism, adapted tobe actuated in one direction by the moving carrier and in the oppositedirection by the rotating track-section, in combination with the maintrack and the rotating track-section, under the arrangement and forjoint operation, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. In a cash or parcel carrier traok, the combination, with thestationary track and movable shunting track-section, of a stop carriedby said section and operated by the moving carrier, to project into thepath of and arrest the onward movement of said carrier, substantially asand for the purposes hereinbe- 1o fore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of J une,1883.

GEORGE P. WALKER.

TVitnesses:

A. '1. ATHERTON, O. '1. ATHERTON.

